Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

HEALTH

LATEST: Madrid residents urged to ‘stay at home’ as Spain’s coronavirus death toll leaps to 84

The surge in infections brought the total to 2,968 cases in Spain up from 2,140 on Wednesday evening, with deaths leaping to 84 from 48 within the same time frame.

Published: 12 March 2020 16:48 CET
LATEST: Madrid residents urged to 'stay at home' as Spain's coronavirus death toll leaps to 84
A mask has been placed on a model at Las Fallas after the fiesta was cancelled. Photo: AFP

Although there is no official lockdown in the capital, schools and public offices are closed, people are being told to work from home, cultural and sporting events are suspended and sports centres, museums and other cultural spaces closed.

A campaign by Madrid's regional health authorities is urging people not to leave the house unless that have to, in order to curb the spread of the virus and not overwhelm the health service which is already at breaking point.

“This morning, all members of the government will undergo testing,” a government statement said, indicating the results would be published later in the day.

“The minister (Irene Montero) is in a good condition and second deputy prime minister Pablo Iglesias is also in quarantine due to the situation.”   


The couple have both been isolated to prevent contagion. Photo: AFP

Montero tested positive on Wednesday evening, three days after appearing at a mass march of some 120,000 people through Madrid for International Women's Day.

 

A special cabinet meeting to discuss an emergency plan of action to respond to the crisis went ahead around 1200 GMT as planned, with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and 14 other ministers, it said.

However, all of Sanchez's upcoming appointments would be conducted by video conference.

Spain has seen the number of infections spiral since the start of the week, becoming one of the worst-hit countries in Europe. Madrid has borne the brunt of the crisis with 1,388 infections and 38 deaths.   

The International Women's Day demonstration on Sunday evening took place just hours before health authorities detected a huge spike in infections.

Schools in other regions including Galicia, Catalonia, Murcia and Asturias will be closed from Friday.

LATEST:

 

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

HEALTH

Danish parties agree to raise abortion limit to 18 weeks

Denmark's government has struck a deal with four other parties to raise the point in a pregnancy from which a foetus can be aborted from 12 weeks to 18 weeks, in the first big change to Danish abortion law in 50 years.

Published: 3 May 2024 08:06 CEST
Danish parties agree to raise abortion limit to 18 weeks

The government struck the deal with the Socialist Left Party, the Red Green Alliance, the Social Liberal Party and the Alternative party, last week with the formal announcement made on Monday  

“In terms of health, there is no evidence for the current week limit, nor is there anything to suggest that there will be significantly more or later abortions by moving the week limit,” Sophie Løhde, Denmark’s Minister of the Interior and Health, said in a press release announcing the deal.

The move follows the recommendations of Denmark’s Ethics Council, which in September 2023 proposed raising the term limit, pointing out that Denmark had one of the most restrictive abortion laws in Western Europe. 

READ ALSO: 

Under the deal, the seven parties, together with the Liberal Alliance and the Conservatives, have also entered into an agreement to replace the five regional abortion bodies with a new national abortion board, which will be based in Aarhus. 

From July 1st, 2025, this new board will be able to grant permission for abortions after the 18th week of pregnancy if there are special considerations to take into account. 

The parties have also agreed to grant 15-17-year-olds the right to have an abortion without parental consent or permission from the abortion board.

Marie Bjerre, Denmark’s minister for Digitalization and Equality, said in the press release that this followed logically from the age of sexual consent, which is 15 years old in Denmark. 

“Choosing whether to have an abortion is a difficult situation, and I hope that young women would get the support of their parents. But if there is disagreement, it must ultimately be the young woman’s own decision whether she wants to be a mother,” she said. 

The bill will be tabled in parliament over the coming year with the changes then coming into force on June 1st, 2025.

The right to free abortion was introduced in Denmark in 1973. 

SHOW COMMENTS